Method for the production of decorative wall and flooring tile



)7 f 31* March 22, 1966 o. P. BOURNIQUE 3,242,242

METHOD FOR THE PRODUCTION OF DECORATIVE WALL AND FLOORING TILE FiledNov. 29, 1962 I pi El INVENTOR Dam/15250000005 BY 16 f 2 V 20/Arron/5Y5.

United States Patent 3,242 242 METHOD FOR THE PRdDUCTION 0F DECORA- TIVEWALL AND FLOORING TILE Douglas P. Bournique 1550 S. Ocean Blvd., PalmBeach, Fla. Filed Nov. 29, 1962, Ser. No. 241,071 1 Claim. (Cl. 264-71)This invention relates to the production of decorative wall and flooringtile and relates more particularly to a method for producing adecorative compressed concrete wall -II t has been known heretofore toproduce decorative tiles from compressed concrete but the method andmeans used in the past have been particularly cumbersome and inefiicientand the tiles resulting therefrom have been extremely heavy, headilyfrangible and subject to crazing or checking, a phenomenon well known inthe art causing a multiplicity of minute cracks in the face of the tileunit as it dries out under atmospheric conditions of sun and wind.

Furthermore, many production methods used in the past have suffered fromthe disadvantages of requiring a large number of personnel withrelatively little output. A high degree of unsalable tiles has furtherdecreased the efiiciency of prior art processes because of the inabilityof such operations to remove the tile units from the mold withoutfracturing or otherwise deleteriously affecting the final product.

The use of tiles for decorative wall veneer modulars is known to thoseskilled in this art but heretofore the preparation of a designedflooring has been well known with only aphalt, rubber or linoleum usedto form prefabricated units. Decorative flooring of a more substantialnature has been limited to the conventional terrazzo process of formingintricate details on a concrete base by hand-placement of brass stripswithin the floor area, filling the same with v Such a process isobviously extremely slow and inefficient and renders designed flooringextremely expensive. Moreover, it is almost impossible to repair aterrazzo floor if cracks develop along the joints due to settling of thebuilding or improper foundation construction. Even when such repair iseffected it does not look well.

It is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a method forthe production of decorative wall and flooring tile.

Another object of the instant invention is to provide a method ofpreparing decorative tiles for use on walls or in flooring in a mannermuch more efiicient than those known heretofore with a substantiallydecreased percentage of unsalable products.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a process for theproduction of decorative flooring more efficient and commerciallyadvantageous than those known heretofore.

Another object of this invention is the provision of such a designedflooring that is aesthetic, easy to maintain and repair and lessslippery than other such hard floorings.

Other and further objects reside in the combinations of elements,arrangements of parts, and features of construction.

Still other objects will be in part obvious and in part be pointed outas the description of the invention proceeds and as shown in theaccompanying drawings wherein there are disclosed preferred embodimentsof this inventive concept.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a mold and mold supporting plate foruse in the instant invention;

FIGURE 2 is a vertical cross-sectional view along line 22 in FIGURE 1showing the concrete material in position to be pressed into a tileunit; and

FIGURE 3 is a plan view of a rotary mold support having a plurality ofstations for use in the production of tile according to the instantinventive concept.

Similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout theseveral views of the drawing.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, it is conventional in this artto form concrete tiles on a rotary press device such as is showngenerally at 10 in FIGURE 3. A mold supporting plate, indicatedgenerally by the reference numeral 12 in FIGURE 1, is inserted into thedevice 10 at one of the rotary positions and automatically indexes themachine to move the supporting plate 12 and its associated mold 14 tothe next station. The structure is then automatically or manually movedthrough each of its stations to perform the chosen procedure withrespect to the preparation of tiles. The mechanical aspects of therotary press 12 are not considered to be a part of the instant inventionand will not be described in further detail except insofar as isnecessary for a comprehensive understanding of the inventive conceptscontained herein.

The basic tile produced by the process of the instant invention is anatural cement gray color and may be readily painted for protection ormerely to vary the external color. The material used to form the basicunit is an important part of the instant invention and is preferablycomprised of a combination of gray air entrained cement, an aggregate,and water. The cement is conventional and is preferably of the wellknown gray Portland variety.

The type of aggregate used in this mixture is particularly important asthe strength and resiliency of the final product is dependent thereon.The screen analysis of this aggregate must show a sufiicient number offines to provide the resiliency factor which is necessary to reducesuction when the unit is removed from the mold thereby simplifyingrelease and avoiding any fracturing of the tile. It is also importantthat sufficient coarse aggregates are present therein to prevent crazingor checking in the face of the unit due to expansion or contraction ofthe same as it dries out under the various conditions of weather andatmospheric environment to which it may be subjected. The chosenaggregate must be of the coarse variety as differentiated from the finesands used conventionally in plastering. A particularly useful materialis the well known Florida concrete sand or torpedo sand.

It is also extremely important to the production of a decorative tile ofthe type described hereinabove that the ratio of the three ingredients,cement, aggregate, and water, be retained within certain limits in orderthat the mix does not become too fluid for efiicient handling or too dryfor satisfactory results.

A typical mix would contain about 190 pounds of g e ment, approximately450 oungs ofggggeggte, and about iwo and one-half gallons of water. Thedry ingredients can vary by approximately ten pounds in either directionand the water will be increased or decreased depending on the humiditybut should not vary over a quart on an absolute basis, plus or minus.

In place of the torpedo sand, an aggregate formed of an expanded shalemade by a rotary kiln process such as Solite, a product manufactured bythe Southern Lightweight Aggregate Corporation, may be substituted. Theresultant tile will have similar properties but will be much lighter, anindividual tile weighing approximately five, instead of seven to ninepounds a piece. The preferred mixture using this material would have aweight ratio of approximately 100 pounds cement to approximately 200pounds aggregate and approximately 1 gallons of water, assuming theSolite is absolutely dry. A normal batch would be comprised ofapproximately pounds of cement, 190 pounds of Solite and 1 /2 gallons ofwater. The cement and Solite may have a range of plus or minus tenpounds and the water may vary by no more than a quart in eitherdirection.

These ingredients are combined in a mixing device to insure homogeneitythroughout and it has been found through experience that a horizontalmixer open at the top and having large irregularly shaped stationarypaddles around which a drum portion revolves, provides the best results.However, it can be seen that any means for insuring adequate intermixingof the ingredients would be satisfactory.

A quantity of this material is then placed in a hopper (not shown)overlying the mold table 16 of the rotary press 10. The press is theninitiated by insertion of a supporting plate 12 in one of the stationsas described hereinbefore. It is, of course, to be understood that thepress may have any desired number of stations, six being shown asconventional and for simplicity of illustration.

The mold support 12 in the basic production method to form the gray tileof the instant invention is inserted at the station numbered 18 andshown as empty in FIG- URE 3. The apparatus indexes the mold through thepositions 20, 22 and 24 with no processing of the material. At thestation indicated as 26, the mold is automatically filled by means ofthe overhead transverse hopper which slides across the same at thisposition to supply a predetermined quantity of mixture within verticalconfining walls indicated by the dashed lines 30 in FIGURE 2. Thesurface of the material is then screeded to the desired level and thedevice is indexed to move the supporting plate 12 and mold 14 to thestation 28.

In this latter position the material is vibrated by means not shown toassist in rendering the mixture uniform with regard to its density andto remove any voids remaining from the filling process.

A press platen such as shown in dashed lines at 32 in FIGURE 2 islowered to compress the material shown generally at 34 in FIGURE 2 underapproximately 75 thousand plus or minus 1,000 pounds per square footpressure. The high pressure is important in order to handle the productmanually prior to curing, remove all minute air spaces, achieve amodular of exact uniformity, and achieve the units high degree offlexural and compressive strength. This pressure while relatively highon an absolute basis is much lower than used to make other knowncompressed concrete units, thereby decreasing cost and maintenance ofequipment.

Once the pressure is relieved the machine is indexed to bring thesupporting plate 12 and its assmiated compressed tile to the startingposition at 18 where the entire unit is removed from the apparatus bymeans of the handle 36. The supporting plate 12 is then tipped in anupward direction so that the operator can hold it by his finger tips andrelease it from the mold itself generally indicated at 14, a preferredembodiment of which is to be described in more detail hereinafter. Thetile may then be released from the mold and placed in a steam curingroom until it is set-up or cured, approximately 24 to 48 hours.

In order to faciltate removal of the tile from the mold it is importantto use a structure such as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 comprising a flexiblebase portion 38 having a smooth-surfaced design forming portion 40superimposed thereon. The flexible base portion 38 is formed preferablyof rubber having sufficient resiliency to withstand the shock of thecompression without causing the tile unit to become brittle and yetadequate firmness to allow the tile to be released after it has beenformed. It has been found that a rubber base formed of a half inchlaminate of a 3 inch neoprene base and a ,5 inch live rubber surfaceperforms better than any other material tested. It is important that thebottom layer be relatively much harder than the top layer to assist inrelease of the tile.

While other smooth-surfaced materials are useful, the

design forming portion 40 is preferably made of a cast aluminum for bestaesthetic results and efficiency. The design forming portion 40 ismaintained in position on the flexible base 38 by means of any wellknown adhesive such as the various contact cements and it is fairlyobvious that the relationship of the flexible base portion 38 and thedesign portion 40 may be in any desired manner to form a predetermineddecorative tile. The edges of the design forming portion 40 willpreferably be beveled as at 42 to assist in release of the tile from themold.

The finished tile will have a roughened texture in its elevated surfacesthat is, those which were in contact with the flexible base portion 38and relatively smoothsurfaced depressed areas, in contact with thedesign forming portion 40 during the compression process. This willresult in a tile having contrasting textures improving the highlightingof the pattern and providing a more aesthetically acceptable modular.

Each of the molds in the six stations of the rotary press shown inFIGURE 3 may have a different design and the finished tiles may bearranged on a wall in abutting relationship to form any desired design.

The wall area to be decorated is covered with a conventional cementmortar or the like and the tiles are presoaked in water and areinstalled in the mortar bed in a predetermined arrangement.

Internally colored tiles may be formed by a somewhat modified procedureusing a two step method to reduce certain expenditures for material.When the empty mold is indexed to the position 18 a quantity of facingmaterial containing cement coloring matter, white air entrained cement,marble dust, a light 'weight aggregate such as white perlite, and wateris inserted to cover the design forming portion 38 of the mold 34 inslight ex cess as shown below the dashed line 42 in FIG. 2. Theproportions of ingredients in the facing material are as follows:Approximately 95.4mm of cement to about 50 pounds of marble dust, 40pounds of perlite and one an r s of water depending on the dampness inthe air and in the materials. Similar tolerances to those describedabove for the Solite mixture are acoeptable with the colored tiles. Ofcourse, the coloring matter may vary to render the desired results.

Solite may not be used in the facing mixture for a colored tile becauseit is inert and a solid color would not be attainable. Perlite isnatural-1y white and is very absorbent so that addition of color ispossible without discoloration.

The perlite and marble dust may be dispensed with and replaced bysilicate sand which is also white in color. Silicate sand is strongerthan perlite and since marble dust is only necessary when the face ofthe unit is to be ground, a process unnecessary for use of theseinternally colored tiles, it is advantageous in most instances to usethe silicate sand. A t ical W facin material would contain aboutio-mundsaimhite ce' ment, 355mm sand plus or minus ten MWUHHWWQOIQI asnecessary. The amount of water may vary from two and6'rie-half to threegallons.

Insertion of this material after it has been adequate] mixed together isaccomplished either by hand with a scoop or the like, or automaticallyby a hopper as described hereinabove. As the mold is indexed through thepositions 20 and 22 it is vibrated to render the density uniform andremove any voids and at station 24, a backing material comprised ofapproximately one part cement to two parts Solite is inserted above thefacing material to provide a quantity sutficient to form the entiretile. The backing material is dry and when the pressure is applied at 24the water in the facing material is pushed up through the mix toadequately wet the backing material and form an interface such as shownin dashed lines at 44 in FIG. 2 where the facing and backing materialsare integrally bonded.

The remainder of the procedure described above for forming the gray tileis completed after the compression step to produce the colored tile.

A further modification may be incorporated into the process to give thefinished tile a terrazzo effect in portions of its exposed surface. Whenthe facing material is made, marble chips may be included in place ofthe perlite in the facing mixture giving-a typical formula ofapproximately 95 pounds white air entrained, cement, 50 pounds of marbledust, 21% pounds of number hnarble o n "-I tile is compe g su aces w 1cwere in contact with the flexible portion 38 of the mold 14 during thecompression step, may be ground down slightly to expose flattenedportions of the marble chips and to give these surfaces an even higherpolish than the depressed areas in contact with the smooth-surfacedportion 40 of the mold 14 during the compression step. Such tiles may beintermingled with colored tiles prepared in the manner disclosed aboveor the gray tiles made according to the first-described procedure, toform interesting variations in the wall design.

Tiles made according to the last-described process may be used toprepare a beautiful and sturdy flooring material. Tile units, beforegrinding, may 'be installed over a concrete base having a conventionalcement mortar bad or the like spread thereover. Once all of the tileshave been laid in a preselected design, a terrazzo mixture is thenspread over the surface to fill in the depressed areas and the excessmixture is screeded off in line with the high portions of the tiles.After the entire floor is allowed to set up and harden sutficiently, thesurface is ground by any conventional means to expose portions of marblechips thus producing a contrasting design between the terrazzo and theoriginal tile. After the surface has been lished it may be sealedagainst dirt by coating it with a layer of any approved terrazzo sealer.

A flooring prepared in the above-described manner may be of any chosendesign and can be easily repaired if cracks are formed due to settlingor poor foundation by simply replacing the broken tile. 'The surface ofsuch a flooring is particularly aesthetic in appearance and lessslippery than most hard floors of this type,

A two step operation is used in the manufacture of the colored tiles andthose having marble dust and chips in the mixture to provide a lessexpensive, stronger unit. The coloring matter has been found to weakenthe oement and since only the visible portion of the tile need becolored, it is advantageous to provide a backing having no coloringmatter incorporated therein. Likewise, since the marble chips arerequired only near the surface and since this material is relativelyexpensive, a more economical unit can be prepared by a two step process.

From the foregoing it will now be seen that there is herein provided amethod and means for producing wall and flooring tiles whichaccomplishes all of the objects of this invention and others includingmany advantages of great practical utility and commercial importance.

Since many embodiments may be made of this inventive concept and sincemany modifications may be made in the embodiments herein shown anddescribed, it is to be understood that all matter herein is to beinterpreted merely as illustrative, and not in a limiting sense.

I claim:

The method of producing a uniform high grade tile consisting of thesteps of providing a substantially homogeneous wet facing mixture,consisting of one part by weight of air entrained Portland cement, twoto two and one-half parts by weight of an aggregate including silicasand having both coarse and fine particles, and sufiicient water to forma wet mixture,

partially filling a mold with said wet facing material to a height abovea raised and flexible based but harder topped bottom design, vibratingsaid mold and facing material only until the wet facing material is ofuniform density and voids introduced by mold placement are removed,

complete the filling of the mold above the said wet facing materialmixture with a mixture of dry backing material consisting of one part ofdry cement and two parts of dry aggregate,

vibrating said mold with said two mixtures therein only until themixtures are each of a uniform density and voids introduced by moldplacement are removed, subjecting said vibrated materials to compactivepressures of approximately 75,000 pounds per square foot whereby excesswater in the facing material is forced therefrom and into the drybacking material, and the backing material is integrally bonded with thefacing material, releasing the pressure and removing the layered andbonded tile from the mold without disfiguring the sunken design in thelower face of the tile, and

steam curing the removed tile for a period of one to two days thusproducing a finished tile.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,019,414 3/1912Bellamy 264-255 XR 1,681,493 8/ 1928 Miller 264256 1,799,255 4/1931 Russ264256 2,143,004 1/1939 Greager et al. 2,585,366 2/1952 Bollaert et al.106-98 2,689,381 9/1954 Terriere 264256 XR 2,858,227 10/1958 Rodsky a106-97 2,955,323 10/1960 Rivenes 18-42 2,981,976 5/1961 M-aier 18-422,991,186 7/1961 Furlan 106-98 FOREIGN PATENTS 215,190 5/1958 Australia.

821,282 10/1959 Great Britain.

840,403 7/ 1960 Great Britain.

ROBERT F. WHITE, Primary Examiner. ALEXANDER H. BRODMERKEL, Examiner.

